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Mayor Park Heong-joon: “Rising Employment Rate, Lowest Unemployment Rate”… Busan Shows Clear Improvement in Employment Indicators

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that, according to the analysis of employment trends from the National Statistical Portal for February 2026, both an increase in the employment rate and a decrease in the unemployment rate have occurred simultaneously, indicating an overall improvement in employment indicators.

As of February 2026, the employment rate for individuals aged 15 and older in Busan stood at 58.4%, up 0.7 percentage points compared to the same month last year.
The employment rate for the core working-age population (ages 15–64), based on OECD standards, rose by 1.9 percentage points to 68.7%, showing a clear upward trend.
The number of employed persons also increased to 1.695 million, up by 16,000 from the previous year.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate fell by 0.3 percentage points year-on-year to 2.8%, marking the lowest level among the seven major metropolitan cities.
The number of unemployed persons decreased by 5,000 to 49,000.
This is analyzed as a result of strengthened linkage between employment growth and actual job placements, leading to increased stability in the labor market.

The improvement in employment indicators is attributed to the combined effects of policies such as the advancement of the regional industrial structure, job creation centered on strategic industries, and enhanced job matching between employers and job seekers.

Looking at trends over the past five years, the improvement in employment conditions has become even more pronounced. The employment rate for the core working-age population (ages 15–64) in Busan rose from 62.9% in 2020 to 68.1% in 2025, an increase of 5.2 percentage points.
This exceeds the national average increase of 3.9 percentage points during the same period, with Busan ranking first nationwide in both the scale and rate of increase in employment.
Despite structural limitations such as a high proportion of elderly population, employment indicators centered on the core working-age population—an OECD international comparison standard—have improved rapidly, demonstrating that conditions for labor market participation are substantially improving.

The improvement in employment indicators is also leading to a reduction in job mismatches.
According to the “Survey on Establishments’ Labor Demand by Occupation for the Second Half of 2025” by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, Busan saw increases in both job openings and hires, while the number of unfilled positions decreased.
In the second half of 2025, the number of job openings reached 71,994, a 10.8% increase compared to the second half of 2021, while the number of hires rose to 67,154, up 16.3%, marking a record high.
In contrast, the number of unfilled positions in the second half of 2025 decreased by 33.3% to 4,840 compared to the second half of 2021, and the vacancy rate improved significantly from 11.2% to 6.7%.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “While we are seeing achievements such as improved employment indicators and reduced job mismatches, further efforts are needed to enhance employment vitality led by the private sector.” He added, “We will establish comprehensive employment measures for 2026 to continuously promote tailored job creation based on industrial demand and advance employment services, and we will continue striving to build a sustainable job ecosystem.”